Saratoga Reading Rooms 2022 Honoring Earle Mack Yellow Jockey Silk Club Tie
$250
Sz: 59" x 3 1/2"
By Peter Blair
Adjacent to the Saratoga Race Course is the somewhat secretive private club. It was founded in the 1930s as a place for men to read the dailies before the races. There are rooms for members to stay in over night during the race meet - F. Ambrose Clark was a member and would stay here on occasion as opposed to driving all the way back to Cooperstown, NY.
"Saratoga Reading Room, a private club for racehorse owners, trainers and breeders. Members include “the who’s who" of Saratoga racing. If you want to become a member of the Reading Room, an outstanding member, the best way is to buy yourself a great horse."
Mack has been involved with breeding and racing Thoroughbred horses since 1963. He was a member of the Board of Trustees, New York Racing Association (1990–2004), Chairman of the New York State Racing Commission (1983–1989), Member of the New York State Thoroughbred Racing Capital Investment Fund (1987–1996) and a Member, Board of Directors, of the New York State Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund Corp. (1983–1989). Mack is a contributor to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF).
In 2011 Mack started the Earle Mack Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation Award. The award is presented to a recipient who made significant contributions towards improving the safety and welfare of Thoroughbred horses during and after their racing careers. The first winner of the award was Frank Stronach and in August 2012 Mack presented the award to Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps. In June 2013, Mack presented the award to Chef Bobby Flay for his actions on behalf of Thoroughbred retirement.
Mack has owned and/or bred more than 25 Thoroughbred stakes winners, and currently owns about 75 Thoroughbred horses in the United States, England, France, Italy and Argentina. His most notable horses include:
Manighar (the first horse to ever complete the Group 1-treble of the Australian Cup, Ranvet Stakes, and BMW Cup)
Peteski (Canadian Triple Crown Champion, Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, Sovereign Award winner, and Canadian Horse of the Year, 1993)
Bruce's Mill (Sovereign Award winner, 1994)
Cryptocloser (Sovereign Award winner, 1997)
Electrocutionist (Horse of the Year in Italy, 2005)
Mr. Light (Grade III winner, Gulfstream Park; set the world record for fastest mile ever run by a Thoroughbred in a competition, 2005)
November Snow (winner of the Grade I Test Stakes and Grade I Alabama Stakes at Saratoga, 1992, and international high-weighted 3 year old filly for that year)
Roxinho (Brazil's Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year, 2002)
Captain Canuck (Partnered with Centennial Farms Niagara Inc to race this 2010 Canadian Triple Crown Contender)
Dylan Mouth (triple Group 1 winner in Italy, including 2015 Premio Roma)
Mack has successfully supported legislation for transparency in all horse sales in Florida. Headlining issues are medication, prohibition against dual agency, prohibition against enhancement medication usage, ownership transparency, and disclosure of medical records in the state of Florida. In August 2012, Mack was elected to the Board of Directors of the Jockey Club, an organization founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing.
On June 28, 2011, Mack sold Star Plus, son of Alpha Plus, to George Iacovacci on the conditions that he could never be raced again and that Mack would be immediately notified if they no longer wished to take care of the horse so that a suitable retirement home could be found for him. But shortly after the sale Mack learned that the new owner of Star Plus had put the horse back in training and started to enter him in races.[30] After a public outcry, Mack was able to buy back Star Plus and retire him to Old Friends Equine, a horse retirement program in Nicholasville, Kentucky.